Tensions Rise in Maharashtra: Shiv Sena Skips Cabinet Meet

In Maharashtra, tensions flare as most Shiv Sena ministers skip a cabinet meeting, signaling disapproval of BJP's recruitment tactics. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, leading the party, attended. The Shiv Sena later met CM Fadnavis, protesting defections, where the CM cautioned against alliance partners recruiting each other's members.

In a pivotal political maneuver ahead of upcoming civic elections in Maharashtra, the majority of Shiv Sena ministers opted out of the weekly cabinet meeting led by the BJP-led Mahayuti government on Tuesday.

Notably, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who spearheads the Shiv Sena, attended the cabinet meeting at Mantralaya, as revealed by sources. This action was intended to communicate Shiv Sena's discontent with the BJP's efforts to attract its workers and leaders, insiders suggest.

Insiders pinpointed recent defections of Shiv Sena members to the BJP in Kalyan-Dombivli as a key catalyst. After the cabinet meeting, Shiv Sena ministers confronted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, voicing concerns about developments in Dombivli. Fadnavis countered by highlighting previous instances where Shiv Sena incorporated BJP members in Ulhasnagar. As per the Chief Minister, alliance partners should avoid recruiting each other's workers in the future. The ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra encompasses the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party.

(With inputs from agencies.)